6 February 2013

If dreary winter weather is getting you down, lift your
spirits by adding bright, zesty lemons to your every day cooking. The
new year is well under way and already we have signs and hope of
Spring. Today seemed so warm everyone had permanent smiles on their
faces. My foodie obsession has always been lemon rather than chocolate. No
matter whether it is sweet or savoury I am always tempted to surrender to the
enticing texture of a lemon custard filling or a creamy avgolemono.

In Italy, limoni are everywhere from
handpainted ceramics to lemons at the fruit stand the size of baseballs.
Besides being a fundamental ingredient in seafood dishes, lemon is one of
the most popular sweet treat flavours as well with its place
right alongside almond, hazelnut and chocolate. I am happy to
celebrate the season from the nationally celebrated beverage Limoncello to its
tart, citrusy flavour featured in biscotti, cakes and gelato. Around here
lemons are as popular and widely used as simple spices like salt and
pepper. I have embraced lemon juice and zest as a cornerstone in my love
for Mediterranean cuisine. A little lemon goes a long way.

The brightly coloured outer layer of citrus fruit, the zest,
contains scented essential oils that impart a handsome flavour to dishes. When
a recipe calls for strips of zest, a vegetable peeler works very well. But for
fluffy, grated zest, try using my favourite kitchen gadget a micro plane
zester. Years ago I remember watching an episode of Martha Stewart where she
used a woodworkers microplane to zest her lemons. I am sure this is where the
idea came from to create a microplane for cooking. Best invention yet! When
juicing your citrus to extract the maximum juice, either roll your citrus fruit
around on a flat work surface, pressing down firmly with the palm of your hand,
or warm through gently by dropping into a pan of hot water, popping into the
microwave for a few seconds, or even placing in a warm oven for a minute or
two. I use the microwave method myself and there is never a drop of juice
wasted.

I brought the main dish of Lemon Ginger Fried Chicken.Giving the chicken
a double coating of the flour mixture creates a golden crust even without the
skin when pan-frying. Carefully pour in the broth so you
don't wet the crispy brown coating on the chicken. The broth mixture turns into
a glazey sauce that can be served with the chicken. Or do as I did and create
the glaze on the stove top instead. The verdict: The chicken has a tendency to turn soggy even without adding the sauce to the dish, so this is the type of dish that would need to be eaten that day and not the fried chicken we take on picnics. It had a delicious flavour profile.

Place rind, juice, and next 5 ingredients (through drumsticks)
in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat. Marinate in
refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.

Sift together flour and next 3 ingredients (through red
pepper). Place flour mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Remove chicken
from marinade bag, reserving marinade. Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly
over chicken. Add chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal bag and
shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour
mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Place chicken on a wire rack; place
rack in a jelly-roll pan. Cover and refrigerate 1 1/2 hours. Let stand at room
temperature 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Return chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal
bag and shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess
flour mixture. Discard remaining flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken
to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, turning once. Arrange chicken in single
layer in a shallow roasting pan. Combine broth and reserved marinade in a small
bowl; carefully pour broth mixture into pan. Sprinkle chicken evenly with
sugar, and top with lemon slices. (Instead I like to make the glaze on the stovetop).
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden and a thermometer registers 165.°

You are
reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at
http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used,
provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More
Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

This is a lighter version of a dish that I make in the summer for barbeque parties ... oh, so good! I think I found my version in The Silver Palate Cook Book years ago ... what a perfect entree for our lemon themed meal, Val! Perfect with that fennel salad as a side!

The Silver Palate cookbooks were the first books in my collection many years ago and have been a source of many delicious recipes over the years. I will have to have a look for the recipe Susan. I am surprised I have never made it before from these kitchen bibles.

Val, I love this chicken recipe. Lemon just adds so much life to chicken, doesn't it? What a great theme and thanks for taking me back (mentally and in spirit) to the Amalfi coast. I dream of returning! I have also just added your URL link to this post to my own post to update it for directing others to your chicken recipe! Buon Appetito!

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.